Elske
by Matthew Coldiron
Summary: I tried to explore, and am still working, on Albus's first love. This is my first attept at a fic so I would appreciate and advice or thoughts on it.
1. One

                Woods, woods, and more woods. He kept on walking through the brush, he'd left the path behind some time ago. He wasn't worried he knew he could take care of himself. He was a tall young man with light blue eyes and dark shoulder length hair, he wore black robes with his school logo on the chest and he held a wand at his side. He had been looking for a friend who'd decided to sneak into the forbidden forest to prove that she was brave enough to do it. He'd found her tracks and followed them until he realized they only went a short way before they cut back toward the school at an angle, but something else had caught his attention. He could of sworn that he'd gotten sight of a centaur, he'd been trying to talk to them for ages but they never seemed to be around when he decided to go into the forest. He was pushing some branches when he heard something...

                "Albus!" He jerked his head strait, and looked toward his teacher. "Thank you for gracing us with your attention once again Albus." The old wizard said in his droll voice, as the rest of the class snickered behind his back. "Now, who can tell me..."


	2. Two

Later that day at supper Albus was sitting next to his good friend Edward Pellomn, a short chubby boy with short dirty blond hair and jolival light brown eye's. "Was Professor Binns saying anything important or was it just more goblin rebelions?" He asked as he spooned some shepherds pie onto his plate.

                "Just the usual. Today was all about Graflat the Foul's uprising in 1617, and how he was unusually cunning and considered to be the most brilliant goblin tactician ever. I think you were still aware, when he was talking about the Bulltooth the Bloody." Edward continued on for awhile, but Albus was only partially aware of what he was saying as they were eating. He was to busy staring at a pretty 6th year Ravenclaw, Zerea Anner had shimmery white blond hair that went down to the small of her back, and blue green eye's that could stop most males in their tracks and had sent Albus walking into door frames on many occasions. 

                Realizing that Albus's attention was elsewhere Edward poked him in the side to bring him back to the real world. "Your minds drifting more and more my friend. Why don't you just go talk to her?" Edward had been friends with Albus his whole life and knew him better than anyone but it didn't take that kind of knowledge to know what was distracting his friend.

                Albus looked down to the table and over to his friend, "I don't know. I've tried, I just can't seem to get anything out when I'm around her."

                "This just isn't like you Albus. I don't know what to say. But if you don't ask her to meet you in Hogsmeade next weekend I'll ask her for you." He was very serious about his threat.


	3. Three

"Zerea?"

                "Yes?" Zerea looked over to her friend Margie. 

                "You know, for someone who pretends not to notice someone you sure look at him a lot to. Why don't you just go talk to him?"

                "Margie you know it's not that...simple." She said pay more attention to her food.

                "Really? Why is it difficult to go up to him and say, 'hey Albus, you want to meet me at in Hogsmeade next weekend?' What's so hard about that?" She said with a sly smile on her face. "You know he likes you. It's not like he's going to freak out and say no." 

                "But what if he does?" She said quietly, looking her friend in the eyes.

                "Well you'll never know if you don't just go and ask him will you." They sat in silence for the rest of dinner and Zarea only looked up when she noticed Albus getting up to go to his common room. Margie poked Zarea in the ribs and whispered in her ear. "If you don't get up and follow him right now I'm going to do it myself."

                Zarea just stared at her with a shocked expression on her face people just didn't do that sort of thing. "No you won't!" Although she knew that Margie would, and was proved right as Margie darted up to go after Albus. She was to slow to grab her friend and to amazed that she actually wasn't kidding.


	4. Four

Margie had to jog a little to catch up with Albus and Edward, then she slowed down a bit when she realized they were headed to the library and not to their common room. So she kept following and decided she would get Albus aside and tell him to meet Zarea at the Three Broomsticks. They went on into the Library before she could stop him so she followed and sat down and pulled a few random books down to wait till Albus got up to find some of his own which didn't take long. She caught up to him when he stopped to get a book on Dementors. "Albus?"

            He looked around at her a little surprised at being addressed in the library, "yes?"

            "You like Zarea don't you." And she was satisfied to see his surprise turn into bright red blushes on his cheeks. But before he could get an answer out she went on, "Alright now we've got that established. She like's you to but she's to shy to admit it, so will you meet her at the Three Broomsticks saturday at two?"

            Albus was still quite taken aback by her forwardness but managed to stammer out a yes and was getting ready to ask Margie some questions when  she just turned and practiclly flew out of the library not even bothering to put away the books that she had gotten down. He walked slowly back to the table Edward was studing at trying to fully organize what had just happend to him. "You'll never believe what just happened to me." He whisperd to his friend once he'd sat down.

            "No? What happened? I couldn't imagine much happening in a library." He said with one of his funning questioning frowns.

            "Well you know Zarea's friend Margie. She just came  up to me and told me that Zarea likes me and told me to meet Zarea at the Three Broomsticks saturday at two, then she just sped out of the library as if she's realized exactly what she's done." Albus almost started to laugh. Almost. But he could tell that she'd been totaly serious with him.

            "Well, see now you don't even have to ask Zarea yourself or go trough me imbaressing you in front of everyone." Edward said and just went on studying like nothing significant had happened at all. Albus's body wouldn't let him focus though so he had to get up and just go back to the common room.


	5. Five

"You didn't actually tell him, did you?" Zarea said with concern once Margie sat next her back in the Ravenclaw common room. "Did you Margie? Oh how could you! Margie how could you?"

                "How could I? How could I not! You've had your eye on him for how long now. Don't try to hide it you've been glancing at him and doing everything accept throwing yourself at him for the last year and a half. I know he's very smart and brave but I don't think he would have ever just finally come up to you without some prompting. And now that's out of the way and neither one of you had to blush furiously. Well he did, but he didn't have to do it in front of you fearing that you'd reject him, now did he?" She stopped to take a breath, and started getting her books out.

                "Still Margie." It took her awhile to go on, she waited for Margie to finish getting her ink pot and quill and parchment out of her bag before she let herself ask. "Well, what did you tell him?"

                "Your meeting him at the Three Broomsticks saturday at two." Margie said not even looking up from her potions homework.


	6. Six

All the rest of that week seemed to drag on to Albus and he had trouble sleeping. Nothing seemed to work right in his mind and several times he thought of just telling her that he didn't want to meet her, and he avoided her in the halls and sat with his back to the Ravenclaw table at meals so that he wouldn't constantly be looking at her. He didn't talk with any of his friends about it though they tried to give him suggestions on what he should do.

                "Bring her some flowers, girls like flowers." 

                "Chocolates."

                "Flowers and chocolates."

                "Write her a poem." And so on constant ideas many of which he thought were actually pretty good but he wanted to be different. Finally on friday night though he decided what he was going to do, and had the best night's sleep he'd had all week.


	7. Seven

Albus sat there at a table in the Three Broomsticks, stomach in knots staring at his pocket watch waiting for her to show up and trying to keep himself from being nerveous. Telling himself that everything was going to be alright and was going to go fine. 

            Then she walked in the door and it seemed like no one else was there. He got up and walked towards her while it seemed like she was gliding towards him, white-blond hair flowing behind her. "Zarea." He said giving her a big shy smile so unlike himself.

            "Albus." She replied wearing an even shyer smile but unable to take her eye's away from his.

            "Would you like to go for a walk, it's a little loud in here." He said holding out his hand. When she put her hand in his he realized that her skin was the softest thing that he'd ever felt. He led her out into the street and ment to let her hand go, but she held on as they walked down the street hearts beating so fast that it was amazing they weren't gasping for air.

            "I can't believe this, it's all like a wonderful dream." Albus said to finally break the silence. "I can't even think of anything to say."

            "I can't either." She said squeezing his hand expressing more in a simple gesture than either of them would have been able to in words, and he squeezed her hand just as much and as gently. They continued walking on into the woods just past the village. 

            "Here." Albus said pointing to a small clearing. She gave him a questioning look and seemed to be ready to ask him what was going on. He just placed his finger on her lips, pulled out his wand and used a sommoning charm to bring out a quilt and a picnik basket. Zarea gasped and gave him the most briliant smile he'd ever seen, he was surprised that his knees didn't give way from being in the presence her beauty. "I thought this would be a nice place to have lunch." He managed to get out with a steady voice. 

            "It's wonderful Albus!" She said as they sat down next to each other. 

            They sat eating and talking of their families but neither really paying attention to anything but the others eye's. They stopped after a while and just sat to enjoy each others presence, not needing any words, words would have spoiled the afternoon. Zarea moved closer to Albus to run her fingers through his hair while he caressed her cheek. They slowley came closer almost without even thinking about what they were doing. Then their lips met, and for a long time there seemed to be only the sweet taste that comes with that first kiss and the sounds of breathing and the feel of each other's heart beats. They lay holding each other for hours not even thinking that it couldn't last forever and soon they would have to go back to the school. That didn't matter, nothing did then, or ever really would, not compared to that moment.


End file.
